Rajya Sabha adjourned over Belgaum dispute

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned on Wednesday following the Shiv Sena's demand for an immediate discussion on the Belgaum dispute between Maharashtra and Karnataka.

As the house met for question hour, Shiv Sena members led by Manohar Joshi appealed to Chairman Hamid Ansari that a discussion be held on the issue.

The chair, however, rejected the demand, stating that the matter was sub-judice and could not be taken up in the house.

At this, Shiv Sena members led by Joshi gathered near Ansari's podium. Despite repeated requests, they stood firm on the demand for the discussion, forcing the chair to adjourn the house for half-an-hour till 11.30 am.

The Maharashtra-Karnataka boundary row suddenly came to the limelight following the central government's affidavit in the Supreme Court early July that the disputed areas could not be made a part of Maharashtra merely because a majority of the population there speak Marathi.